Honk (musical) (lyrics, songs)

This musical adaptation is based upon a well-known fairy-tale, written by H. Ch. Andersen. The original title of it is “The Ugly Duckling”. Lyrics for “Honk!” were written by A. Drewe, while G. Stiles created music for this show. The action "Honk!" takes place outside town, in the country. It was staged in 1993 for the first time at Watermill Theatre. Its original title was “The Ugly Duckling or the Aesthetically Challenged Farmyard Fowl”. In 2007, the same version appeared at that theatre again. Steven Dexter was a director for both of them.

In 1997, the original production of “Honk!” was officially released. The show took place in England at Stephen Joseph Theatre. Julia McKenzie was a director. Later, in 1999, a West End version appeared in London at Royal National Theatre. It even received Olivier Award in 2000 as Best Musical. Then, in 2003, it was nominated as Best Show by Irish Musicals Association. During the following year, it was also ranked the second at Festival of Waterford International.

The US premier took place in 2000. This show was staged at HHPAC – Helen Hayes Performing Arts Center. After that, the musical was changed – the script became more American oriented. Then it was staged at the North Shore Music Theatre. For both versions, there was one leading actor – Gavin Creel, who played Ugly. The performances were lasting for three weeks and took place in about 30 theatres around the country.

There also exists a junior version of the musical, created especially for young audience. Some characters and songs were omitted. Besides, some lyrics were changed as well.
Release date: 1993Last Update:March, 10th 2016